It Takes Time
by Kiyral
Summary: Obi Wan needs to learn a valuable lesson...patience. What if QuiGon can't teach him?
1. The Punishment

This is my first attempt at fan fiction. It's still very much a work in progress (and I progress QUITE slowly!), so I would appreciate any tips or pointers or encouragement any of you might have to offer.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy! 

-Kiyral

Now on with chapter 1:

_________________________________________________________

Qui-Gon raised a weathered hand to hide his smile as he watched his young apprentice. Obi-Wan's face was somewhat contorted as he attempted, yet again, to solve the practice-puzzle. He looked rather like he had just taken a huge bite from a juicy-ripe lemon and was sifting through the bitterness in his mouth to find the seeds. In front of him floated a cube roughly the size of a man's fist, segmented on each side into small squares decorated with words and letters. The trick was to use the Force to twist and rotate the segments so that one side would spell out an answer to a question. Obi-Wan had answered all of his Master's previous riddles with ease… until now, hence the sour face.

  
Seated across from each other at a low table in the Jedi Council Room's antechamber, Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi had been biding their time, awaiting the Council's decision. It had been a long wait so far, and the Council had yet to show signs of reaching a conclusion. The morning had waned into afternoon and now the room was aglow as the sun reflected amber light off the industrial landscape of Coruscant's vast cityscape.  


_…what gives power over anticipation?…strength to overcome lethargy and idleness?…It makes itself available to any who desire it and may be found in both a beggar and a senator. Something no virtuous being should be without…_  


The doors to the Council Room opened ominously and a startled Obi-Wan jumped to his feet, puzzle instantly forgotten. His master stood up calmly and held the cube before him so it would be noticed.  


_"Patience"_ it read.  


Obi-Wan gave himself a mental kick. Of course it was patience. Something Obi-Wan was having a bit of trouble with lately. A lot of trouble, in fact, as that was the reason behind the meeting of the Council. The young Jedi shot his master an apologetic look and took the lead as they made their way into the main Council chamber.  


Obi-Wan made his way to the center of the room, his pause nearly imperceptible as Qui-Gon halted just beyond the ring of chairs that made up the Jedi Council. It made sense that Obi-Wan would be held responsible; it was his mistake after all. If only he had just waited for his master to return instead of going off on his own, he wouldn't be in this mess. Qui-Gon was right, he definitely needed to learn the meaning of patience.   


Everyone's undivided attention was on the troubled padawan as he stood up to the scrutiny of the Council's all piercing, all knowing eyes. They could follow his thoughts, he knew, which made him feel somewhat undressed in a rather unpleasant sort of way. Yet he stood taller and lifted his head, ready to accept whatever punishment the Council saw fit to place upon him.  


Obi-Wan willed his eyes from the building he was studying in the distance as Master Yoda spoke carefully, "Much pride have you, Padawan Kenobi." The wizened old Jedi paused for a breath before he continued, "But not such a bad thing it is, no. Know, you do, when it is your time to listen. Your place you know, and respect for your masters you have. Understand, the Council does, your intentions of the past week, and learned a valuable lesson we believe you have. However, this kind of behavior is warranted by the Council to be reprimanded. Therefore, your punishment shall be as follows: Three days of isolation on an uninhabited world. For reflect upon your recent choices and actions, you still must. Then return, you will, before the Council and share what you have learned."  


The Padawan wasn't sure what to think. Somehow he'd gotten the impression that he was going to be expelled from the Jedi Order. Well, maybe not that, but definitely something of that magnitude. Three days of isolation was nothing! How in the name of the stars did he get off so easy?  


Obi-Wan's thoughts must have been transparent, as Mace Windu quickly spoke up, "The planet you will be staying on is called Dagobah."  


"…Dagobah?" He'd never heard of it.  


Qui-Gon, who had stood waiting patiently out of the Council's attentions, suddenly seemed concerned, "Masters, if he is to go to Dagobah, I suggest he not go unaccompanied. It is not a place where one can sleep…safely…on his own."  


"Agree with you, the Council does, Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Where goes the student, the teacher must follow. Careful, you both must be for us to see you here again safely in three days," With a look from Yoda that spoke volumes, Qui-Gon understood this punishment for not keeping closer tabs on his apprentice.  


"As you wish Master Yoda, Master Windu, Masters," Qui-Gon bowed to the council and turned to leave.  
Obi-Wan bowed as well and heard barely above a whisper as he followed his master from the room, "Watch out for each other you both must. May the Force be with you."  


_________________________________________________________

Chapter 2 is in progress, please let me know what you think!

Thanks!!  
-Kiyral


	2. The Home With a Hyperdrive

This is my first attempt at fan fiction. It's still very much a work in progress (and I progress QUITE slowly!), so I would appreciate any tips or pointers or encouragement any of you might have to offer.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy! 

-Kiyral

P.S. Thanks to Kalantha for the review!! You'll find out what Obi-Wan did...eventually! 

Now on with chapter 2:

_________________________________________________________

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn left for Dagobah almost immediately. Only a brief stop by their residence hall to gather a few belongings and survival rations kept the two from heading to the shuttle directly from the Council Chambers. Not necissarily in a rush but hurrying just the same, Master and Apprentice were in the mindset of getting this over and done with.

It wasn't until starting the preflight sequencing onboard their personal craft that either spoke.

"Master," Obi-Wan ventured as he flipped the switch to turn on the repulsorlift generators under the ship, "...what's on Dagobah?"

The senior Jedi finished calibrating the quardinates for their impending hyperspace jump and turned, briefly, to glance at his protoge before replying, "You'll soon find out, Padawan. Nothing the two of us can't handle on our own, you needn't worry. Just have--"

"Patience, I know."

"I was going to say 'faith', actually. But I suppose 'patience' would do quite nicely in lieu."

Obi-Wan frowned at his mistake, then reached out for the Force to quiet his sudden influx of frustration using a familiar calming technique. He was going to learn to be patient if it took a lifetime.

It was only a matter of minutes before they had clearance and were heading for their exit vector. 

* ~ * ~ *

Obi-Wan found himself wandering the small craft for the seventeen-billionth time, not that there was really anywhere to go. Not knowing about what he would be facing once reaching Dagobah was making him feel apprehensive and unsettled. He was having a hard time sitting still, which was making things difficult, as he hadn't realized they were going to have such a long hyperspace jump. The young Jedi was beginning to show signs of cabin fever after spending nearly two days couped up in the three-room vessel - smaller, even, than their personal apartment back in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. 

The ship was an older Q-class Abode Transport, used mainly by the Jedi (and some nomadic travelers with few belongings and a lust for travel) when embarking on longer assignements far from the comforts of modern technology. Not designed with luxury in mind, the triangle-shaped 'home-with-a-hyperdrive' was endowed with only the barest of essentials. One room held two small sleep couches, a tiny closet and refresher annex, a second held a food-synth and cooler unit as well as a small table with three chairs, and the third was the cockpit, having the pilot and co-pilot chairs and room for two more passengers to sit.

After knocking his elbow on the door-jam between the cockpit and the kitchenette for the third time that day, Obi-Wan gave up and carefully crossed into the sleep chamber to sit with his Master. Qui-Gon was in the same place he had been for nearly the entire trip; he spent most of his time sitting cross-legged on his sleep couch meditating, only getting up to eat and use the 'fresher before going to sleep. Obi-Wan was beginning to think that there never really was any planet called Dagobah and his punishment was just to be stuck on this tiny ship for a week with nothing to do. With a sigh, the Padawan decided to take a hint from his mentor and settled in for some quality meditation.

With a deep cleansing breath, Obi-Wan pulled the Force from around him, guiding it through his body and pooling it in his mind. With a second breath he did the opposite: he spread himself out in the Force, extended his being beyond his body, beyond the room, beyond the shuttle and out into space. The experience never ceased to fill him with wonder and awe. Next to him, he could clearly feel the presence of his Master, who's gentle aknowledgement showed how pleased he was that Obi-Wan had finally joined him. He had apparently been waiting for him...patiently, he noted.

Qui-Gon's thoughts flowed through him like they were his own, "_Have faith in yourself, Obi-Wan. When the Force is your teacher, you learn even when you do not realize you are being taught."_

_"But how am I supposed to remember lessons if I'm not aware they are being given? When will I know what I should have learned?"_

_"You know the answer to that,"_

_"When I have patience and listen to the Force?"_ Obi-Wan felt a wave of warmth flow through him at his Master's satisfaction with the correct answer.

_"You will face many obstacles while on Dagobah, Padawan. I cannot help you them, but I am confident you will surmount them with very little trouble."_

_"...Master, what kind of obstacles? What do you mean you can't help me with them? Why can't - "_

_"We have arrived, Obi-Wan. It's time to go."_

And with that, Obi-Wan awoke from his meditation to the alert of the hyperspace timer telling them the ship had returned to realspace. He had strapped himself into the co-pilots acceleration chair before Qui-Gon had even stood up. Wait a minute...Qui-Gon was still in his meditation! The younger Jedi called quietly to his Master through the Force, _"...Master?"_

_"...go ahead, Padawan. I trust you."_

Switching quickly to the pilot's seat and restrapping himself in, Obi-Wan glanced at the display panels and toggled a few switches to get ready for atmospehric re-entry. He'd done the routine hundreds of times on nearly as many worlds, but he wasn't prepared for what happened next.

A sudden flashing from across the panel showed that the landing skids were being extended. His first thought was that he must have accidentally hit the wrong switch, even though it was clear on the other side of the board. Not a second later, the flash was followed by a beep saying that the landing skids were now being closed at the same time. _What?!_ But before the Jedi had a moment to ponder the glitch, a warning siren told him that the navigational system had completely bottomed out. A quick check of the system diagnostics screen left him in dismay, as it had suddenly switched to what looked like an old dialect of Huttese or Ithorian. Either way, he couldn't read it. Not that that mattered for too much longer, anyway. Five seconds later, Obi-Wan had the manual stick control in his hand and a look of panic on his face as all the ship's power suddenly vanished and he found himself plumeting towards the planet through a thick fog.

_"If we somehow survive this, Qui-Gon is going to kill me."_

_________________________________________________________

Chapter 3 is in progress, please let me know what you think!

Thanks!!  
-Kiyral


	3. The Landing

In the darkness, a pair of clouded grey eyes fluttered open. A low groan echoed flatly through the silent cockpit as its sole occupant slowly regained consciousness.

It took more than a few moments for Obi-Wan Kenobi to piece together his jumbled memories and replay what had happened: When the ship lost power, he'd sent a quick panic-stricken message to his Master, _"Brace yourself, we're going in hard!"_

While falling like a brick through the planet's dense atmosphere, he had managed (by will of the Force or just sheer dumb-luck) to maneuver the ship towards a very small clearing, which just so happened to be a rather grandiose swamp. As crash landings go, you really couldn't ask for a softer touchdown. Not that the landing was soft, it was anything but. But being alive was never something Obi-Wan was prone to complain about, and he wasn't about to start now.

Unstrapping himself from the pilot's chair and using the Force to relieve the tension and bruises throughout his aching body, Obi-Wan drew himself up and went to collect what was left of his Master from the next room. What he saw when he passed through the doorway made his heart come to a complete stop. Qui-Gon hadn't managed to strap himself in. He was crumpled face-up on the floor next to the closet, one leg twisted at an odd angle in the blankets atop the sleep couch. On the side of his face nearest the cabinet, a dark sticky patch was slowly drying to the point of being tacky.

He immediately felt light-headed and had to shake his head to think clearly. _"Oh, Qui-Gon!"_ The Padawan shouted in his mind, _"What have I done!"_

With a cough, the younger Jedi knelt down by his Master and used the sleeve of his tunic to try and clear away some of the blood. He succeeded only in making a bigger mess. The sight was beginning to make him feel queasy. No...he had never been one to look away from anything grotesque, why should this be affecting him so now?

With another cough and shake of his head, he glanced around the small living space. When his vision started to cloud, he paused and cocked his head. It was hard to concentrate on anything with this constant ringing in his ears. No, not ringing..._hissing_. _"That's odd,"_ he thought to himself. _"Why would my ears be _hissing_?"_

Like the screech of a mynock, an alarm went off in his head and a sudden realization hit him: a gas leak, he needed to get Qui-Gon out of there. Coughing again, Obi-Wan wasted no time in hoisting his unconscious Master over his shoulder and abandoning the room. The kitchenette was not much better, and with no power to the transport, there was no real way to seal the doorway between each of the ship's compartments, which meant they were going to have to brave the planet's native hospitality.

Balancing Qui-Gon precariously on one of the chairs in the kitchenette, Obi-Wan quickly grabbed several blankets, opened the top-hatch exit up a short ladder (the main entrance - in the cockpit - was half underwater) and hoisted himself out the top of the ship.

The young Padawan noticed immediately how the fresh air sharpened his focus and quieted the tickle in his throat as he Force-lifted his Master out from below and again draped the large man over his shoulder and plopped the blankets across his backside.

Obi-Wan gave the crash site a once-over: they were relatively near the shore, if that's what you could call it. The ground - only a few meters away from the half-submerged ship - looked like a soggy tangle of roots and muck. There was not much else to see, aside from the shore, as everything seemed to be enveloped in a suffocating fog.

One thing was for certain, this was definitely going to be a test of his patience.


End file.
